Bush’s 5 Objectives
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Eytan Gilboa - (Opinion) January 10, 2008 - 4:53pm

Leaders visit other countries and take part in international events in order to demonstrate support for allies, change the positions of rivals, promote issues and interests, mediate conflicts, and boost approval ratings back home. Despite the close ties between Israel and the United States, American presidents tend to stay away from Israel during their term in office, including the ones considered Israel’s greatest friends, such as Ronald Reagan.

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Differing Opinions Fail To Dent Israel's Love Affair With Bush
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald Macintyre - January 10, 2008 - 4:48pm

The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, declared last night that Israel reserved the right to expand existing Jewish settlements in Arab East Jerusalem and in parts of the West Bank that it hopes to retain in any final peace deal.

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Bush Fails To Gain Concessions On Settlements From Olmert
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory Mccarthy - January 10, 2008 - 4:47pm

The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, last night refused to rule out further settlement building in East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank, highlighting the deep gulf between Israel and the Palestinians that confronts George Bush on his first visit to Israel and the West Bank as president. Against a backdrop of bristling security that accompanied the presidential visit, the Israeli prime minister said the US and the Palestinians knew there was an Israeli "moratorium" on new settlements and on the new expropriation of Palestinian land in the occupied territories.

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In Exclusion, Hamas Counts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Mohammed Omer - (Opinion) January 10, 2008 - 4:44pm

Leaders from the Palestinian party Hamas that won the elections in Gaza two years back have inevitably not been invited to meet Bush. The U.S. considers Hamas a terrorist organisation. Hamas took control of Gaza by force from the Fatah party headed by Abbas in June last year, about a year and a half after it swept the polls in January 2006. As Hamas leaders and supporters see it, Bush's talks with Abbas can count for little if they are kept out. And so with Abbas's talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just ahead of Bush's visit.

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On Mideast Trip, Bush Hopes To Propel Historic Israeli-palestinian Peacemaking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - January 10, 2008 - 4:40pm

The patriotic tunes that greeted President Bush as he arrived in Israel Wednesday for the first time in his presidency set the tone for a historic visit. But given the laudatory remarks of Mr. Bush and his Israeli counterparts on the airport tarmac, the visit seemed focused on celebrating and strengthening the US-Israel relationship, throwing into question whether Bush would be equally welcomed Thursday in the West Bank.

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Bush Urges End To Israeli Occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Jeffrey Heller, Matt Spetalnick - January 10, 2008 - 4:24pm

U.S. President George W. Bush, hardening his tone towards Israel on Thursday, urged an end to "the occupation" of the West Bank and pushed for a peace treaty to be signed within a year to create a Palestinian state. The United States rarely uses the politically charged word "occupation" to describe Israel's hold on lands captured in a 1967 war. It is a term Palestinians seeking a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip employ frequently to describe their plight.

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Bush Begins Peace Effort Bonded With Olmert
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Steven Erlanger, Steven Lee Myers - January 10, 2008 - 4:21pm

They share an enthusiasm for sports, fitness and the occasional cigar. They are both unpopular leaders, scarred by terrorism and zealous in their warnings about the threat of Islamic extremism. And yet they profess grand ambitions to accomplish what other leaders have failed to do for decades: make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

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Situation Assessment / What Bush Can And Can't Accomplish
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - January 9, 2008 - 6:26pm

All it took was for the engines of Air Force One to fire up to produce two major breakthroughs in talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The first was the announcement by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that they were willing to start talks dealing with the conflict's core issues. The second was Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman's promise not to cause a coalition crisis by withdrawing from the government during Bush's visit.

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The President Has Arrived
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
by Joharah Baker - (Opinion) January 9, 2008 - 6:24pm

No doubt, the subject of the hour is US President George W. Bush’s visit to Israel and Palestine, which begins today, January 9. Both Israel and the Palestinians are taking extraordinary measures to ensure that Bush’s visit proceeds without a hitch. In Jerusalem, where the US President will be staying, a reported 8,000 Israeli police and security guards have been stationed for his protection.

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7 Years Late
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) January 9, 2008 - 6:23pm

Seven years after he inherited the power to bring Israel to heel and the power to make a just and honorable future to the Palestinians, President George W. Bush finally arrives today. He arrives at the site of the foreign policy failure that has undermined everything else he has tried to achieve in the Middle East and in the wider Muslim world.

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